The Abraham Lincoln High School Dragon Boat team turned in medal-winning performances at the 11th International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) Club Crew world championship races in Szeged, Hungary, in July.

There were more than 6,000 participants from 140 clubs, representing 30 countries, that competed during five days of racing at the IDBF.

The Abraham Lincoln High School
Dragon Boat team posed for a group
photo in Szeged, Hungary, at the
11th International Dragon Boat
Federation’s world championship
competition in July. Courtesy photo.

Lincoln’s team of 37 student athletes earned four gold medals in the Junior A division races: 200- and 500-meter all-girls and mixed gender. They also won two silver medals for the all-boys 200- and 500-meter races.

Coaches Fanny Chen, Wesley Chen, Matt Chen and Brian Yee led the team.

Established in 1996, the Abraham Lincoln High School Dragon Boat team is the school’s largest independent student organization and one of the largest dragon boat teams in California.

The team holds championship titles from the 2016 and 2017 Northern California International Dragon Boat Federation races, has the highest win count within the California Dragon Boat Association (CDBA), and is the only team to sweep all top CDBA high school divisions three times in a row.

The Dragon Boat, a human-powered watercraft that originated in southern China, is more than 2,000 years old. Dragon Boat races are today’s fastest growing international watercraft sport.

Lincoln Dragon Boat team (top) in action at the 11th International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) Club Crew. Courtesy photo.

Lincoln High School’s Dragon Boat team receiving a gold medal. Courtesy photo.